Opus 2018-314: Dream Class

I am starting through a series of Victorian murder mysteries.  They tell good stories but being written by a woman they tend to get into a lot of feelings and introspection.  One of the things I like about good historical fiction is that it teaches me about other times and places.  This one does a good job of getting into a mind set that is alien to modern America.

One thing we just do not understand is the rock solid class consciousness.  You were born in a class and you died in the class.  You knew your place and accepted it.  The person of the king or queen was inviolate.  Nobility were your superiors.  You might be rich but you could never be accepted in polite society.

Historically certain lines of work were looked down on.  They were accepted but definitely lower class.  Gentlemen did not dirty their hands in such work.  Some seem to have stood the test of time.  Policemen, reporters and enlisted soldiers were assumed to be little better than prostitutes in social status.  Only people of quality used the front door.  If you were a policeman coming to ask a few questions you would be directed around to the back so you would remember your place. 

Much of the world is still that way.  You are not able to rise above your social class.  If you are connected to the right people it is accepted that you can get away with things that would put others in jail.  You may have noticed that this attitude is becoming common in our ruling classes.  Us common people sit here and see Michael Flynn facing jail time for nothing and James Comey who lied to congress on national television is still running free.  This is not the American way.  When the Founding Fathers set up the American experiment they knew that some people were better than others but it was based on who they were and what they did, not on their blood lines.

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to go back.  I want the rule of law where murder is punished the same no matter what political party you belong to.  I want rioters treated like criminals not artists.  A familiar quotation that is being more and more ignored is from Martin Luther King, Jr.  He talked about living in a country where his children would be judged on the content of their character not the color of their skin.  It was in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

I think all conservatives have that same dream.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-313: Firsts: Baby Pictures

At last I have received physical photographs of my granddaughter.  This is important because I need to be able to whip them out to show people.  I have been accused of not being a real grandparent because I had no photos.  Eventually I would think of the pictures on my phone but to those of us raised before velcro shoe fasteners, that just doesn’t get it.

So now I have real proof.  I am aware that you could accuse me of Photo-shopping the pictures but you need to understand that it would be impossible to get that much cute in one picture by artificial means.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-312: Got a Date for New Years?

There are a lot of people who make a big deal about the date of Christmas.  There are a lot of theories about why it is December 25.  I came across a new on the Borepatch Blog.  I am not sure it is any more accurate than the others but if your boat needs to float, read it.

My question for today is, “Do the same people make a big deal about the choice for New Year’s Day”?  Keep in mind that January 1 is just as arbitrary as December 25.  In fact, different cultures have different days that they begin the year.  We have all heard of Chinese New Year.  There is a Jewish and a Muslim new year.  What is so special about January 1?  It isn’t even the shortest day of the year.

This is a rhetorical question.  I don’t really care about the answer.  The thing is, if you want to be so contrary about one day, then be consistent.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-311: The Traditional Greeting

Merry Christmas.  Today is the day the western church set aside to commemorate the incarnation, the birth of Jesus, the promised Jewish Messiah.

(Luke 2:10-11 KJV)  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Most of the activities that have come to be a part of Christmas are traditions added by men.  That is why we need to pause and acknowledge that the reason for this holiday is not the need for a winter holiday.  The reason this is a special time of family and friends is not because people everywhere decided we needed a day to come together.  The reason all this started was to remember the birth of Jesus.

If you do not believe in Jesus and still celebrate, thank you for the unknown honor you bestow on the one who is called “Emmanuel” which means, “God with us”.

I have time to wish you well because I am up, the tree in on, I have filled my wife’s stocking, the doll representing the baby Jesus is in our homemade manger and everyone else is still asleep.

Blessings.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-310: The Browning of America

When I lived in California I saw all kinds of nonsense about the fact that Los Angeles and suburbs are built is a desert and deserts don’t have much water.  Instead we get silly.  I saw signs on medians saying, “Brown is the new green”.  They are disguising that fact that they don’t bring enough water from the rest of the state. 

Okay.  With that in mind I wonder if we should start calling the Green movement the Brown movement.  It is no longer a matter of keeping the world green but looking to dead brown as a source of inspiration and prosperity.  We could have a goal to live in cardboard boxes.  We might want to redesign our money to be brown instead of green.  We could have bags of compost instead of Christmas trees.

I can find the desert beautiful.  What I do not find attractive are medians and parks that once had green grass that are now covered with dead weeds.

Maybe if they would let free enterprise and the law of supply and demand do its thing the high cost of water would encourage people to stop moving to where they can’t afford to drink.  Then they could move to the many parts of the country that have plenty of water.  We have a green country once you get away from the desert. 

On second thought, maybe we want those people to stay in California.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-309: Lucy and the Roadrunner

I have made my reference to “I Love Lucy”.  Desi represents the popular idea of God and we are Lucy.  It doesn’t matter what we do.  God always makes allowance.  Interesting fiction but deadly if believed.

A while back I saw our roadrunner in the yard.  He went up the hill and shortly after that I saw one of our feral cats going down the hill.  It got my mind working. 

Wiley Coyote represents the liberals in the country.  Maybe “feral cat” is also a good moniker.  They hate the roadrunners for no special reason except that they are free and enjoying life.  They repeatedly try to destroy the roadrunners.  They keep coming back for more.

Unfortunately life is not a cartoon.  I read that coyotes are actually faster than roadrunners.  In that case many people are living in fantasy.  The best defense the roadrunner has against Wylie Coyote is not his speed but the author of the script.  He (or she, or they) decide how things will go.  Thus instead of being turned into pieces of tenderized coyote steaks, Wylie stands with a puzzled look and a few singed hairs after the dynamite goes off in his hand. 

Fortunately life is not a cartoon because the author of the script is not a crew that works out of Burbank with computer enhanced graphics.  The entire screenplay is written by God.  And like any good play the basic plot often lends itself to a bit of ad lib or unscripted tripping.  Chances are you already have a copy of the Screenplay of Life packed away in a box or hidden in a drawer.  You might read over the script and then get in contact with the author to audition for a part.

Something to think about as the script covers the annual celebration of the incarnation.

Merry Christmas

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-308: Raison D’etre

What is your reason for living?  It is early in the morning and still dark outside.  My body is still waking up and my mind has not been dulled yet.  It is time to wax philosophical.

Why get out of bed?  Why change my underwear?  Does it make any difference if I shave today?  What is the meaning of life?  All of these questions go together.  The answers play a big part of how we come to decisions and what the results are.

Take our stereotype of the corrupt politician.  What motivates someone to sell a country of over 300 million people down the drain to put a few dollars in their bank account?  What makes homosexuals come out in support of Islam?  Why did feminists support Bill Clinton?  Why should you return the extra $10.00 the car hop gave you in change?

It all goes back to your reason for living.

Maybe you never ask those kind of questions.  Maybe your big concern for the day whether your concoction at Starbuck’s is the right temperature.  That in itself brings up questions.

I hope you like your answers.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-307: Christmas, the Basics

A moment of review is in order about Christmas. 

First we need to look at the traditions that are just that, traditions.  Start with the date.  The Bible gives no indication of the date Jesus was born.  Christmas was just a day chosen by the church to remember the birth of Christ.  It is short for Christ’s Mass.  It is like Saint Michael’s Mass or any of the other events used as teaching devices by the church.  After you have established that, move on to all the pictures and songs you have heard.  There is no mention of a donkey.  Mary probably walked to Bethlehem.  We don’t know how many wise men there were.  I doubt if you had been there the baby would have been adorned with a visible halo.  I doubt that the baby Jesus spent his time in the pose depicting the crucifixion, as you see in many nativities.  Maybe you have not noticed the outstretched hands and crossed feet.  It is doubtful that the wise men and shepherds were there at the same time or that Jesus was still in the manger when the wise men showed up.

What do we know?  Jesus was born in a stable.  Mary was a virgin.  She knew it and God made sure that Joseph knew it.  Jesus was the Word made flesh, the incarnation.  Jesus was fully man and fully God.  There were angels, wise men and shepherds.  The reason He came was to die on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

So, Merry Christmas or Exalted Incarnation.  Celebrate quietly or with great enthusiasm.  Have a tree if you want it, or not.  We removed Santa Claus but still did stockings.  Our story was the wise men came and filled them.  Whether you believe all this or not, take a moment to love those near you and think about those far away.  If you reject the unique place of Jesus then just be glad for a teaching that advocates forgiveness and generosity.  Enjoy it while you can.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-306: What Comes after the Carols

The erosion of America continues.  The Progressive movement which traces its path back through endorsing Mussolini to the eugenics of Margaret Sanger is still alive and well even though it keeps changing its name to keep ahead of the rewards it has coming.  I am noticing the effects on the Christmas season.

The obvious attack is on secular Christmas music.  We have all wondered if the left had ever listened to “Baby It’s Cold Outside”.  We might ask ourselves is the left has ever been in snow country and hoping for the beauty of a snow covered landscape.  If they had, and ever went outside, they might understand that “White Christmas” is not a racial proclamation but a weather report.  We shake our head and wonder what else they can get silly about.

But it has its effect and they are more about killing American culture than censoring a song.  I have been in a number of stores and restaurants over the past week and I noticed that it did not seem as happy as it usually does.  I finally realized it was the lack or watering down of the Christmas music that is usually played over the sound systems.  The only place I have been that was getting into the spirit was Chick-Fil-e.  The rest fell into two categories.  One group is pretty much ignoring the fact that most of the children are excited about Christmas morning.  All they are playing is the usual unidentifiable pap that numbs our shopping minds.  The other group is only playing sanitized secular stuff like, “There Is No Place Like Home for the Holidays”.  I listen in vain for “Silent Night” or “Joy to the World”. 

Until recently I don’t remember anyone having a big issue with Christmas.  Jews I knew had trees and exchanged gifts.  Those who were religious enough to celebrate Hanukkah instead did not begrudge us anything.  I don’t think Buddhists have any big problem with enjoying the celebration.  They may not believe in the incarnation but Jesus was an Enlightened One.  Hindus I don’t know about.  The point is that because we were established as a Christian nation and functioned that way for 200 years the tradition was foundational.

No more.  And keep in mind the target is not just Christmas.  The target is all of the accumulated liberties and values that are based on a religion that supports the ideas that all men are created equal, there are unchanging moral values and that the liberties and values are from God.  The people behind the socialist agenda believe that right and wrong is something they can decide on a day by day basis and deny any liberty we have if it conflicts with the fact that they are more equal than others.  This month the emphasis may be on Nativity scenes but the ultimate goal is to shut you up and make you keep your head down.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-305: The Antifa Appeal

I don’t know which blog I was on but it had a link to a segment from Tucker Carlson.  He was interviewing a young man who had come out of the Antifa organization and written either an article or a book.  I didn’t get his name, but you may have seen it.

Tucker asked him what drew him into Antifa.  He shared that he was looking for something to tie life together.  Something to make sense out of everything and the radical literature he was reading seemed to lead him deeper and deeper into this cult.  He referred to it as a religion because you had to take so much on faith.

That made me think of all the millennials out there looking for the same thing.  I think of so many young people I have met who seem to have no real reason to get up and go on with life.  What do you do when you realize that there is not a lot of purpose in your job no matter how well it pays.  It does not answer the questions like, “Is there purpose in life?”  They look many places and seek answers in many religions.  What has always troubled me is that they reject Jesus in the process.  I keep asking myself why because Jesus gives answers and meaning to life.  Why can’t they see that?

I think the answer is found in the concept of Christian love and the tendency of people to be self centered.   These two things are in conflict.  Christian love, agape, is a commitment to put other people first.  One verse kind of sums up the problem,

(1 Corinthians 13:5 NAS77)  does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,

This is a commitment that is necessary to be a follower of Jesus.  You may not get it at first.  That is why a lot of people are “saved” and drift away.  It is heady to think that God died for you.  It is awesome to understand that all of the bad things you have done can be paid for and the slate can be wiped clean.  Most people like that idea.  But once you cross that threshold there is a whole eternity of growth and a life of service ahead.  That is where people balk.

In groups like Antifa you can enter into the organization and you develop a sense of being better than the sheep who are not part of the group.  It feeds your self-centered ego.  You are not called to serve, you are called to rule.  Anyone who stands in your way becomes fair game for your violence.  This same type of reward is found in Islam.  That is why it is so successful among prison inmates who have already demonstrated that they think everyone else exists to feed their desires. 

People are self centered.  Some are more violent that others but all humans want what they want and they want it now.  If you don’t believe that then babysit an infant for an evening.  Some philosophies feed that.  Antifa does.  Islam does.  Communism does. 

Christianity does not.  It does not reward our ego, our lust or our appetites.  It does put us in communion with a God who is holy and righteous.  Many people miss this even when they claim to be followers of Jesus.  It is demonstrated by the list of people waiting for a chance to sing a solo in church and the need to pay people to clean the toilets.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-304: Platform

Would I be willing to accept exile back to California to save my country?

You have heard of the Black Death or bubonic plague.  It started in a few locations and spread through all of Europe, killing millions.  We now believe it was spread by fleas riding on rats.  It was also spread by infected people who fled and carried the destruction with them.  I am now watching the Kalifornia rats fleeing the sinking Republik and carrying the disease of liberalism with them.  I saw it years ago as I watched liberal teachers do everything to make California a workers paradise but when it came time to retire they moved to Washington and Oregon.  They were the cause of the bumper stickers which read, “Welcome to Oregon.  Now, go home!” 

We need to stop the spread of progressive plague somehow.  Maybe we could quarantine California and put in some contact tracing just like they do for infectious diseases.  I have made and seen others make a suggestion that when we build The Wall it have an extension on the east border of California.  It looks like they have already polluted Arizona and are working on Florida although the Sunshine state gets a healthy dose from the Northeast also.  It is time for drastic measure before the nation is brought to its knees.

I might need to be a sacrificial lamb in the process.  I am a refugee from California but unlike so many, I did not bring California politics with me.  I like Texas the was it is and don’t want to change it.  But then I also liked Caifornia the way it was, 40 years ago.  I might need to offer myself up as I support a law to require all recent emigrants from the Folden State to return to the damaged goods they left behind.  I could handle it.  I am getting old and would not be forced to put up with it for long.  We would need to find an exemption for my children though. 

This should be seriously considered for the platform of the Republican Party in the next election.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-303: Monday Pulpit: The Season for a Reason

Sunday the pastor was preaching about Jesus as the reason for the season of Christmas.  If I had to put it into a category I would say he was teaching about the incarnation and the divinity of Christ.  It is something we need to remember in the midst of all the rituals and traditions.  Jesus was fully God and fully man.

At one point he looked at Colossians 2:9 which in the KJV reads,

“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

He waxed eloquent on how all of God was in the body of Jesus.

My mind tends to go on tangents and I put myself in the shoes of a nonbeliever or a typical church attender who has never really thought about it and find myself saying skeptically, “Right.”  It is beyond our imagination for such a thing to happen.  By all the laws of physics it would be impossible.  How can eternal infinity be compressed into a normal human body?  The actual reason people have trouble with it is because they do not want to believe it.

Take the concept of black holes out in space.  The theory is that in those places the gravity is so intense that even light cannot escape.  If that is the case, how can you prove such a thing exists?  You can’t really but science still believes it.  Such pressure is beyond our comprehension but is accepted.  Or take the mathematical concept of infinity.  We are taught that if we have infinity and multiply it by two we still have infinity.  If we have infinity and subtract infinity I believe we still have infinity.  Or how about doing calculations with the square root of negative numbers.  Such a thing is impossible.  If you don’t remember your high school math then let me remind you that when you multiply a negative by a negative you get a positive.

Could Jesus have been fully God and fully man?  Of course.  The same way that so many other concepts defy our imagination but are still true and applicable to life.

You scratch my head, I’ll scratch yours.  Forget our backs.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-302: Trash Talk

Why do I let the trash pile up so high before I empty it?

I could come up with a lot of reasons like, “Why empty it when it isn’t full and it isn’t full until things start falling out.”  I could claim to care about the environment and want to use as few plastic trash bags as possible but I am already recycling grocery bags.  An idea has been brewing below the surface of my conscious thought and today it emerged full grown.

I let the trash pile up because it gives my wife so much joy to tell me to empty it.  I think it fills a need in her life to be in charge and feel needed.  It is important for her to feel that I am a helpless male  and can’t do simple things.  You have probably seen the comedy sketch that appears in so many forms of the man left to do the laundry, puts in the whole box of detergent and ends up floating out of the house on the suds.  I have not found that funny since I learned to read and saw that there were instructions on the box, but if it tickles our fancy, enjoy.

The same thing applies to haircuts.  If left to myself I would be glad to never go to a barber shop again.  I might shave my head every few years or give myself a buzz cut every few months, but I really don’t care how long my hair gets.  That changed when I got married but I find it easier to just wait until she says I need one.  When my dad used to ask me when I was going to get a hair cut I would sometimes say, “About a month after you stop asking.”  I don’t think that would work with my wife.

So I guess it is time to empty the trash.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-301: Hostile Takeover

My understanding of a hostile takeover is when a group of businessmen with money buy out a company that has a lot of assets and is worth much more than its stock price.  They then sell off everything with worth and dump the rest.  In the process they make a bundle and feel real good about themselves but all the people who were working and producing in the previous company are out on the street looking for work.  If the scam artists are really good they can loot any value in the retirement accounts also.

That is my view of what is happening to the Boy Scouts.  I have not read the articles but I am seeing more and more references to the Scouts declaring bankruptcy.  The problem started when a small group of activists weaseled their way into positions of power and began to change the moral compass of the program.  They allowed the homosexual agenda access to the young boys of America.  They then decided that they would allow girls into the scouts and I believe actually changed the name to reflect that. 

Is it any surprise that the people who were the heart of scouting, those with traditional moral values, have been leaving the program?  Is it any surprise that the organization is falling apart?  Not really.  I believe that was the plan from the beginning.  Keep in mind that there are people out there who will not rest until they have destroyed every grain of moral fiber from the country and its organizations.  Colleges and universities are jokes with endowments.  Newspapers are becoming Soros subsidies.  The courts have thrown the rule of law under the bus and rule by what is currently politically correct. 

Maybe the scouts will continue to exist but they will be an empty shell of what they once were.  It may come to the point that people will need to state that they were an Eagle Scout pre 2018 or some such.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-300: The American Curse

America is cursed with affluence.  We live in a nation where the tradition of free enterprise has not yet been destroyed by the socialists.  They are getting close, but still no cigar.  Couple that with our concept of Christian compassion and concern for the poor and you have a nation where the poverty classes live at a level that is the envy of most of the world.  You have heard the litany before about A/C, HD TV, cars, I-Phone, etc that are common in even welfare homes.  We are an affluent nation.

It will bring us to our knees eventually.  Material wealth and comfort has a strong attraction.  It gives us an excuse to do things that are culturally suicidal.  I had another example this week.  We were talking to a tradesman and he commented that child care was eating him up.  Since keeping children in the home is one of our bully pulpits we recommended home schooling and only one parent working.  The discussion went on but eventually it came out that his wife had a good job that rewarded her not only financially but personally and she “likes the finer things of life.”

There it is, the American curse:  We like the finer things of life and they are in reach.  All we have to do is mortgage our children and compromise our values.  The destruction of our children is not just a matter of sending them to day care so we can have a new car.  It goes on all the way to college.

We send our children to colleges because they need a degree to be considered successful.  I don’t know if you are paying attention but professors and administrators in our university system tend to be godless, left wing pagans who are evangelistic in their desire to brainwash the next generation to submit to socialism and one world government.  I am not exaggerating.  Look at the classes they are forced to take as freshman that deal with diversity and multiculturalism.  Even “Christian” colleges are submitting to the New Age world view.  Much of the compromise comes because they want government grants and federal money never comes without strings.

Take it down to the secondary level and the foundations are being laid.  History is rewritten and key facts are left out.  People are included in books because of their gender or lack of it.  People who did nothing are mentioned so that the publisher can claim a quota of different races and cultures.  Significant figures are ignored because they are white and/or male.

And don’t get me started on nursery school.

We have more to fear than ebola and AIDS.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-299: The 17¢ Revolution

France has been putting on their yellow safety vests and rioting in the streets.  We keep hearing it is over a gas tax and that gas in France is now $7.00 a gallon.  We hear about how this increase is forcing the working classes to give up their cars and destroying their life styles.  It sounds serious until you start hearing the actual numbers.

I had heard other numbers but today I read that the increase in the gas tax in France was about 17 cents a gallon.  What that means is gasoline was already about $7.00 a gallon and they added a few cents more.  This is hardly a cause for revolution.  It could be that someone finally leaked the information that here in Texas I am paying less than $2.00 a gallon and that blew the lid off.  It has to be more than that.  I am guessing that the reporting we see in the MSM is deliberately ignoring deeper reasons for revolution in France.  And the uproar is spreading to other countries.

I would suggest that the rioting has other roots.  One might be the kid gloves being used in dealing with the Muslim invaders that are slowly taking over the country.  I don’t think the rioters went into the areas that are Muslim no-go zones.  Another might be the almost total lack of voice that the common people have in France as well as the rest of Europe.  The EU is a powerful group of unelected bureaucrats that regulate the lives of the common, unwashed masses to the point of tyranny.  It could also be that their socialistic life style is finally catching up with them and they are having a tantrum.  It could be that the labor unions have such a lock on the matter of life-time employment that the young people who can’t get jobs are unhappy. 

It could be many things.  Maybe they are just rioting because they do not share a border with the United States that they can sneak across.  For France we don’t need a border, we have an ocean.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-298: Line-Up

Have you seen the pictures from the funeral of George H.W. Bush?  In the front row you have a lineup of presidents and spouses.  In between the worse president in history and the second worse president in history you have a wife who had never been proud of America until her husband was elected, A president who deserved to be impeached and his gansta moll who has a long line of dead bodies behind her.  In the context of what has gone before people get upset that the current president is not as smooth as they want. 

When I look at that picture I realize how the hand of God has been on our country.  We have survived all of them.  If you don’t believe in miracles then just accept it as an early Christmas present.  If you are a “never Trumper” then rest in the assurance that if the country can survive that group, it can survive Trump.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-297: Eternal Questions

Will we brush our teeth in eternity?  Will we have teeth?  Will we need to wash our hands?  Will we have hands? 

My wife often asks me what I have been doing.  I don’t have the courage to share with her all of the deep pondering that is going on in my head as I stare out the window.  The only reason I share it on the internet is that very few of you know who I really am and most of you are embarrassed to admit it.

Keep in mind that just because the questions are silly, it does not mean they don’t have answers.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-296: Cornerstone Considerations: BRI, Two Edged Speech

To those who did not vote for Democrats in the last election it is clear that the immense platforms provided by Facebook and You Tube are being used to censor and control the information available to those who believe what they see on MSM.  Actually they are trying to silence the rest of us too, but that is a bit harder at this point.  We tend to be outraged that they would do this.  At the same time we pay lip service to freedom of speech.

The significant part of the Bill of Rights reads,

“Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;”

Are there limits to freedom of speech and the press?  Society has said, “Yes”.  The courts have said, “Yes”.  So what are those limits and how do we determine them?  We have fancy words like “defamation”, “libel” and “slander” but what do they mean?  Actually there are two factors that come into play:  Truth and intent.  The place where the law is clear involves making a statement you know is false in such a way that it damages someone who is not a public figure. 

We need clear lines between what is allowed and what is not.  We need clear penalties for crossing those lines.  We need to enforce the law and be willing to put up with everything that does not break it.  The sword must cut both ways in limitations and liberty.

The real checks will be found in culture, not in government.  Notice that the First Amendment says that “congress” is not to limit our speech.  That does not mean that social pressure cannot make a difference.  It used to be you could watch a movie or listen to the radio without a constant stream of F-bombs and smutty language.  The reason was not so much legislation as pubic outrage at such lack of decorum.  The industry policed itself because people demanded it.  You just did not do such things.  I know what locker room lingo is like but the mouthy adolescents who were showing how tough they were knew that they had better not talk that way in public.  Why did that worry them?  There mother would find out.  Now their mother is teaching them.

We as Americans need to start drawing limits.  That means we start with ourselves.  We need to start talking like we are on 1950's TV during family time.  And we need to start giving people the “look” when they use such language.  One thing I used to do was point out that I didn’t need to pardon their French because the word they used was Anglo-Saxon.

Like many things necessary to make life better, we tend to want liberty for ourselves and for others to toe the line.  If we don’t want to have laws enforcing speech codes in our homes like they are doing on University Campuses we need to start setting the example.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-295: Second String

I have become the second string, the back up quarterback, the pinch hitter.

When my wife came home after being gone a few weeks the cat would have nothing to do with her.  That lasted as long as it took the cat to realize that I was no longer the source of food.  The cat disappeared from my room for days.

Now she is appearing again on occasion.  When she does I can conclude that my wife is asleep or has left the house.  It is a good thing I don’t care about cats that much or I might get my feelings hurt.  As it is I know the cat has a need so I pet her when she gets in range.

We both seem to be able to live with that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-294: Why Trump?

I have moved from an “anybody but Hillary” Trump voter to almost unquestioning support of the man.  It has been quite a journey and it is fueled by just about everything I see going on in our popular culture.  So why have I become one of those people who believes he is the man of the hour?

Trump represents the best current chance for a return to the rule of law.  I hear the stuff the conspiracy nuts are throwing out about military tribunals and thousands of sealed indictments.  As in any conspiracy there is probably a grain of truth.  The problem is you don’t know which grain it is.  I look at them the way I look at Biblical prophecy:  You won’t know until it is too late.  My confidence is that one reason Trump is moving slow on certain things is because he respects the Constitution, the rule of law and due process.

Trump demonstrates the total prostitution of the news media and the “watchdog” press.  Remember the story of the little boy who cried, “Wolf”?  Remember the story about the kings new clothes?  In both cases, people caught on.  I think our public is more like Charlie Brown repeatedly trusting Lucy to hold the football no matter how many times it is ripped away.  It is simple:  The MSM lies, about everything.

Trump really cares about America and what it means to be an American.  That may be one reason why the elites (Democrats, Rinos, Progressives, Communists, Socialists, liberals, etc) hate him so much.  What else do they need?  They hate the common man having liberty, thus, they hate Donald Trump who actually believes in America.

Trump really cares about the common folk.  It is not just talk and manipulation like we get from socialists who are “for the people”.  It is not just using the children for an excuse to push any perversion or limitation of our freedom.  We see countless examples of his caring when no one was paying attention.

Trump is hated by all the forces that want to turn the United States in Venezuela.

The things that disturb me about Trump are really minor:  A tendency to locker room talk, a tendency to exaggerate, and he gets two scoops of ice cream.  They are minor in reality and when compared to the flaws of the people attacking him they become minuscule. 

The condiment that pulls it all together is the reality that you can’t believe anything the press tells us at this point, and I do mean anything.  It really doesn’t matter if they are deliberately lying or just ignorant and delusional, the results are the same.  Deceit, fraud and deception are the standards for the MSM.  They hate the man so much that they are quite willing to cut off their nose to spite their face.

As a Christian I know that the final solution is not political but spiritual.  In spite of that I believe that God can work through Donald J. Trump and seems to be doing so.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-293: MSM RIP

Most of us are more than weary with what we see going on in the MSM.  Let me suggest that the national news organizations might be as much a victim as the rest of us, maybe more because they are so ignorant.

The powers behind the elites want to silence the free press.  They can’t do it with laws.  The courts would probably draw the line there.  They can do it with ridicule.  The public confidence in the news media is as low as its trust of congress.  Yes, that low.  How long can they survive being laughed at?  I often wonder how they keep paying the bills when people are turning them off.  How can you generate ad revenue when it is based on the number of people paying attention.  Maybe it is because the people like Soros and Bloomberg are subsidizing them in the hopes that they will dig their own graves.

Picture a business that is not making money but owns some prime property.  The bank will keep loaning them money based on their equity.  When they are in deep enough the bank will pull the plug and get the property.  For the bank the equity is land and buildings.  For the manipulative elites with bottomless pockets the equity could be a truly free press.

So the MSM is living on the equity of the public trust.  As measured in circulation and number of viewers that equity is about used up.  Disney bought Fox, the only news network that had shown growth.  Fox is sounding more liberal on a daily basis and I believe that means fewer people will be tuning in.  It could be we are nearing the day when the super wealthy cabals will turn off the subsidies and the free press will die.  Since the internet giants are already distorting our access and selling our information the New World Order folks will be able to take over and no one will know.  By censoring just a few web sites they could shut down our constitutional government and it would be a long time before I would notice on my hill top in Texas.

We live in complicated times, or am I just in one of those moods?

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-292: What Happened to Admin?

One of the points of controversy in Christian circles deals with the age of the earth.  Bishop Ussher determined creation as happening on October 22, 4004 B.C. by going through all the ages listed in the Bible and taking it “literally”.  I came across an example that might mean that is not as accurate as we would want.  One of the points of the “old earth” school is that names could have been skipped.  I found an example of that in the genealogies of Jesus where a name is left out. 

Before you put me away on the dusty shelves I would like to proclaim that I am not an avid studier of things like genealogies.  I just happened to be looking through them to confirm something I had heard many times.  I had heard it said that both Mary and Joseph were decedents of David but through different lines.  So I compared the line in Matthew chapter 1 which goes from Abraham down to Jesus, through David.  In Luke starting in verse 23 you find a different genealogy.  It is different from Joseph to David.  Note how it is phrased.

(Luke 3:23 KJV)  And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

The key to the difference here is the “supposed”.  This is because of the virgin birth.  Since Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus it was necessary for Him to trace His physical descent through Mary.  I assume this has something to do with what modern, new agers have with the patriarchy. 

Luke also works backward while Matthew worked forward.  Luke goes all the way back to Adam, not just to Abraham.

I will let you find the missing name and come to your own conclusions. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-291: Precious Memories

Why do we remember things like Pearl Harbor?

There are reasons that do not fit in with the American character.  We do not remember so that we can keep the hate alive.  The Spirit of Reparations and Vengeance is not American.  It comes from the ancient concept of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”  Americans follow a different rule.

(Matthew 5:43-4 KJV)  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

That is why we built up Japan and Germany after World War II.  To many it seemed stupid.  It certainly went against all the traditions of history.  It created two allies that may disagree and disappoint but are still allies. 

We remember so that it will not happen again.  Being allies and friends does not mean being stupid.  The lesson of Pearl Harbor was to remain vigilant.  It was not to disarm but beware.  I live in a great neighborhood.  I have great neighbors.  I still lock my doors. 

President Reagan made an observation.  I doubt if he was the first one and I hope he won’t be the last.  I paraphrase, The best way to avoid war is to be so strong that no one will risk attacking you.  And of course that strength must be real, not just smoke and mirrors.  The fleet at rest in Pearl Harbor was not weak.  It was simply unprepared.  The time to take a nap is when someone else is alert.

So remember Pearl Harbor.  Forgive but do not let that be an excuse to rest on our laurels.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-290: Baby Talk: Ego Deflation

It will be at least six months before I actually get to see my granddaughter again.  I get pictures in my e-mail and get my fix with Skype so I am not going through withdrawals.  I look forward to the day when I can actually look her in the eye and work on the bonding. 

A word of caution is necessary.  When the baby responds I am impressed until I see her also talking to a toy.  I think I have done a great job of reaching her baby mind.  I am proud of myself.  Then I see her doing everything within her growing powers to reach her fathers toes wiggling in his sock on the floor. 

That is okay.  I will take what I can get and be grateful.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-289: Allowing the Adolescent to Grow Up

One mark of maturity is the responsible exercise of liberty.  You have seen this if you raised children.  Some young people are worthy of access to the family car and the freedom to do things with their friends.  Others require early curfews and constant monitoring.  I remember that I never had a deadline to be home and had a car if one was available.  I had those things because I was responsible.  I was so responsible that I was boring.  Parents would call my parents to see if I was home.  If I was still out running around they assumed there children were not in trouble.

The First Amendment is a mark of liberty that was given to the press among others.  They were given the right to say anything they wanted about the government without fear of censorship or reprisal.  They did so.  If you think today is extreme you can find even more in the historic press.  At one point we had the idea of “yellow journalism” which was an early code word for Fake News.  The difference in those days was that you had two ideologies pushing fake news and if you read both sides you had some chance at arriving at a bit of truth.

That has changed.  Since the right has retreated from the public square the MSM has become a single voice declaring Fake News from just about every outlet.  If you are paying attention even Fox has succumbed to the Siren call and for the most part can no longer be trusted.  They have taken the freedom enshrined in the Constitution and turned it into a license to destroy.  When a teen ager misuses freedom there are penalties.  I am not sure what kind of penalties we can levy on the press because we still believe in non-censorship.  We need to find something but it needs to be a something that keeps freedom of the press enshrined.

One easy method is to carefully pick who has access to the president.  Another is to go to court immediately in cases of libel and slander.  Another is to put on trial reporters and editors who obviously have betrayed national security.  And, as I have said before, we can stop subscribing and buying.

A more difficult method would be to start some newspapers.  I know about how no one reads newspapers.  I hear the same thing about books but the publishing industry is doing quite well, thank you.  The reason people don’t read the newspapers is they are not worth reading.  Twenty years ago I heard people saying they would not take the L.A. Times if it was not for Jim Murray in the sports section.  Notice how the Weekly Standard has gone from success to failure in a few short years of turning on Trump.  Did they expect a subsidy from the Clinton Foundation?

I hope the media grow up.  I have felt the same way for a lot of teen agers.  I am still waiting on both.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-288: Want to Be Highly Favored?

Mary was a wise woman even if she was young.  She had been listening in Sunday School and paying attention to life around her.  So when the Gabriel showed up she was a bit upset.

(Luke 1:29 KJV)  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

What got her “troubled”?  It was probably his opening words.

(Luke 1:28 KJV)  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

She was worried because Gabriel said she was “highly favored”. 

Now most people would think this was cool.  “I am favored by God.  Look out world, here I come.”  You know the statement “If God is for you, who can be against you.”  That is an example of worldly application of eternal truths.

We need to understand that when God says we are worthy and blessed it usually means, “You have been selected for something that is going to challenge the sox off you.”  God has an agenda.  He has a universe to put through its paces and, to be honest, your personal agenda for the day is not His number one priority.  Mary was doing okay.  She had a husband lined up.  She had her place in society.  She was recognized by all as a virtuous young lady.  Life was planned out.

Then God said, “Have I got a job for you.”

Mary knew this was not going to end well.  She was right.  It started with being branded as a slut and having her husband-to-be getting ready to send her away to a home in the country.  It ended in standing at the foot of a cross where her first born had been crucified.  Okay, it did not end there.  He was resurrected, but she did not know that at the time.

Are you ready for God to use you?  I am almost sure that it will be a hard road.  It will also be a glorious road. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-287: Since They Can’t Tax Flatulence, an Additional Thought

When I went to post about a meat tax I realized that I was not giving the elites all the credit that they have due.  It is entirely possible that they will find a way to tax flatulence.  We are battling smart meters for our electricity.  We really don’t need the government being able to control every appliance in our house.  My new I-Pad has an ap that will let me set it up to run everything.  I guess the millennials have no sense of privacy and are trained to let Mommy take care of them.  It doesn’t take much of a jump to believe that there could be a required chip in new toilets that would measure the amount of gas being released.  Then we could have a government program to retrofit toilets.  Only friends of congress need apply for a permit or perhaps they would be reserved for preferred minorities.  We are now required to install fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.  Some are required to have radon sensors in their basements.  Why not a methane detector.  Think of all the lives it would save.  Think about how we could rest easier at night.  Ultimately it is for the children, right?

This would be a special problem for older people.  We would be targeted and become pariahs in society.  We would set off alarms in public places and make the neighbors install huge fans.  We might be required to erect airtight tents over our houses.

My mind boggles at the possibilities.  I find comfort in knowing it will be for my own good, and of course for the children.  I am also wondering if I am getting enough sleep.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-286: Since they Can’t Tax Flatulence

In many blue enclaves they are taxing drinks containing sugar.  It is for your own good of course.  Now Powerline points out that the elites are moving on to a new target:  meat.  Actually the attack is not new.  You have long heard about cow farts causing global warming.  You have heard about how the grain used to fatten up cows takes food out of the mouths of children in third world countries.  Since you have not listened, the battle is being escalated to bring you to your knees.

“Another important addition to the conversation around meat is the PLoS One paper discussing health-related taxes for red meat.”

This is a quote from another publication called “The Lancet”.

When the elites (Progressives, Communists, Socialists, Democrats, Rinos, liberals) start talking about taxing something like meat you need to remember a quote attributed to Daniel Webster and John Marshall:

“The power to tax is the power to destroy”.

I heard it used as an explanation of why churches were tax exempt.  It is also something that has been used to attempt to bring down those who are too successful for the taste of the anointed ones.  Ultimately we need to understand that the America haters want to use tax policy to destroy the United States of America and hollow out your freedoms so that your choices are limited to what is best for you, and them.  They want to make the decisions about what to do with your excess income and when that is gone they will start in on necessities.  They think of Venezuela as a success story.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-285: On the Street: Self Image

I have always had problems with self image.  I have always felt like the odd man out.  It is amazing looking at pictures of myself from college and seeing that I was pretty trim.  I always thought I was a blimp.  This kind of thinking is why I don’t like to wear shorts in public.  Why would I want to subject anyone to my legs. 

I wish the favor was returned.  I just saw a guy walking around in his front yard with nothing on but a pair of shorts.  It was not the most horrible thing I had ever seen but it was nothing to brag about.  I wonder what kind of self image produces the shirtless wonders, spandex babes and sagging tattoos that populate our culture.  And they flaunt it. 

I guess that is just another reason to not go out.  At least in a book the visions are limited by my imagination but as someone said, what has been seen cannot be unseen.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-284: Want to Be an Omelet?

You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.  That is obviously true but like many sayings you can push it too far.  Would you make an omelet from fertilized eggs that are days away from the chicks breaking out?  Also keep in mind that you can’t do much of anything with eggs if you don’t break them.  I guess you could boil them, but then what?  People are not eggs.

Socialists down through history have broken a lot of eggs.  The leftists who are in it for power alone don’t care about the pain as long as they win.  The true believers think that the end justifies the means and that some day we will thank them for the destruction they are causing now.  Today’s Progressive leaders, be they labeled Republican or Democrat, only care about their omelet but talk about the eggs a lot.  One bit of cognitive dissonance that has been pointed out is claiming that they are for the children but at the same time advocating killing unborn children with abortions.  Historically socialists have butchered untold millions of people in the name of the people.

Capitalists break eggs too but they generally pay for the eggs so they only break what is necessary.  They realize that eggs are not people.  A genuine capitalist realizes that it won’t do him any good to make fancy computers if no one an afford to buy them.  A genuine capitalist knows that he can make more money if workers are paid enough to live well.  A capitalist knows the difference between fertile eggs that produce more chickens and the ones that have no use if not broken.  Capitalists make omelets that are big enough to share so that no one goes hungry.

All societies have elites.  Someone will be on top.  Socialists by their nature are elites that must use force to stay in control.  Capitalists are elites who stay on top by risking their own wealth and reaping the results.  They don’t use the police to force people to buy their products.  The modern perversion is called crony capitalism which uses government force in the form of regulations to do away with competition. 

Which direction do you want the country to go?  Remember that in socialism only a small controlling minority will enjoy the fruits of society’s labor.  In capitalism there is a massive majority that live well in addition to the very rich.  Think about it next time you are tempted to vote for someone who promises to reward you with government largess.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-283: Ode to Old: Do I Know You?

When I checked the story behind a link I made the mistake of looking at the side show of articles on a British “news-site”.  It made me feel old.  As I glanced down the screen I noticed that I had no idea who these people were.  From the accompanying pictures I could make a few wild guesses but for the life of me I don’t have any idea why I should care that some woman was seen on an outing with her daughter or why another was on the beach in a bikini. 

After a moments reflection I decided I would rather feel old than know who these people are.  I do have a life even if not as much as I used to have.  People need to visit the biography section of the library.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-282: Election 2020: A Thank You

It might be good for all of us to write a letter like this:

Dear Mr. Putin,

There is a segment of our talking heads class that claims that the election of Donald Trump was brought about by the meddling of the Russian government. 

I just want to take a moment to thank you.  Unlike you, I was not enthused about Donald Trump as president.  The only thing that got me to vote for him was the prospect of “Reset” Hillary being elected.  I concede that in this area your wisdom exceeded mine.  I am reasonably sure that your motivation and mine were entirely opposite but for a brief moment we moved in the same direction.

I am hoping that our man will run again in 2020.  Somehow I don’t think you will be too excited about that, after all, we are at least your competition if not actual enemies.  If you plan to back his opponent I will understand and wish you all the effectiveness that you had last time.  In case that is not clear I am hoping your efforts will be as weak and bumbling as they were in 2016.  It does not surprise or anger me that you tried to influence our election.  I would expect you to do nothing less that improve the condition of your country.  I am sure that you will understand if the benefit of Russia is not first on my agenda.

I bear you no ill will.  I think that it is possible for there to be more than one strong, secure country in the world.  At present it seems to be just America but why not Russia and China if they can get their houses in order.

Sincerely,

Pumice

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-281: Another Drone, RIP

If you find my drone, just leave it on the front porch.  The last time we saw it was as it passed over the house, still rising but heading toward the valley.  It was an impressive flight.

I received it as a gift from my kids and my son was the pilot in “control” when it made its break for freedom.  We flew it in the house a bit and then went for the challenge of the great outdoors.  Unfortunately the winds of Texas were more than we bargained for. 

We looked in the trees and down the hill.  We talked to the neighbors and they had lost one over Thanksgiving and evidently the guy down the road had lost one recently.  I had hopes it would be like looking for my golf ball.  Often when I can’t find mine I find someone else’s.  I wonder how many drones are waiting out in the wilderness for someone to find them?

It was fun while it lasted.  If I was a ten year old boy I would be shattered.  Being older and wiser, I shrug my shoulders and get on with life.  The kids will probably buy me another one so they can play with it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-280: Christmas Cat

Was there a cat at the Incarnation?  I have never made a study of the art work for the birth of Jesus but it would seem that a realistic depiction of a stable would have a few cats for catching mice and other pests.  That was their primary function and they are a part of farm life.

The reason I am focusing on cats is that my wife will soon be returning from Japan, she is in the air as I write, and I am afraid that the cat will not transfer its affection back to her.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not a cat hater.  I am also not an animal lover.  I can enjoy your animal at your home where you clean up and provide when you are out of town.  I don’t enjoy them enough to want to do that myself.

If she had been gone a day or two this would not be a problem.  As it is the cat seems to have imprinted on me.  She sleeps on or near me.  She follows me around the house.  She seems to be my constant companion.  What am I going to do if this is permanent.  My wife will then want to get another cat.  The animal has now taken a position on my desk where she can stare at me.

Maybe this will last until I travel to Japan and the cat can imprint back.

I hope not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-279: Transition

I started this on Thanksgiving evening.  “Today is one of the happiest days of the year.  It is now officially acceptable to play Christmas music.  The rule is that as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is over you can take the plunge.  Most are not ready for it then, but it is still within the range of civilized behavior.”

Although it is days later I want you to know you have my permission to begin celebrating Advent and Christmas.  You can even move on to Epiphany it you want.  A few years ago the kids got me one of those bluetooth speakers that have a rechargeable battery.  Since none of our old cars have auxiliary inputs, let along USB ports, I learned that I can plug my old I-Pod into the speaker, turn it up and enjoy everything I want to hear as I drive.  I also have it all on a flash drive that I plug into a little bookshelf unit I have in my bedroom and it will scramble and play. 

So even days later I still have things to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas or Happy Incarnation Day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-278: How Do You Know if You Are Sick?

I am back.  I am not sure you noticed I was gone but 24 hours after arriving at the home where we celebrated Thanksgiving, I started to fade.  I assume it was some sort of flu with muscle aches and such.  I did little except sleep for about 48 hours with a couple of cups of soup squeezed in.  I am sure you have had such an experience but it has been along time for me.  I have been doing blogs for eight years and I have never before missed a day because I was too sick to think.

Several indicators told me it was real.  For one I experienced no hunger and did not think about food from Friday night to Sunday afternoon.  For another I never even opened my computer.  When I was napping in my chair I never picked up a book.  I had no interest in turning on the Christmas music.

Since I am not 30 any more, nor 40, nor 50, nor 60, I expect that it will be a gradual return to what is normal for the 71 year old man.  It is hard to know at times if there is really something wrong or if it is just an unsupported hardware system. 

Whom do I blame?  It could have been the toddler or the teenager at the home.  It could have been the vegetable tray we got at the local store.  It could have been a government plot to put me out of action while they took over the country.  It could have been I forgot to wash my hands at a key point in my activities. 

Now it is on to advent.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-277: Thanksgiving, Really?

I wonder how many people sit down to a big feast today and never seriously think about being thankful.  Of course one of the reasons is that since they don’t really believe in a personal God, whom do they thank?  I guess some might ask, “What do they thank?”  Can you picture a thanksgiving day in the Empire of Star Wars?  How would you thank the Force for your blessings?  Which side of the Force?  Or both?  I know that some people might thank the wind for blowing but it seems kind of empty unless you believe the wind is aware of your thanks.

There is a reason that some refer to Turkey Day.  That is the center of their festivity.  They don’t seem to be aware that you can buy turkeys at other times of the year.  And what do you do if you can’t afford a big turkey and all the trimmings?

To me Thanksgiving Day is just another day in some ways.  I have a morning ritual that begins with looking at a description of the Last Supper.

(1 Corinthians 11:23-4 KJV)  ...the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

Part of what I do is remind myself that if Jesus could be thankful knowing that the cross was coming, how much more could I be thankful living in America in the 21st century.  I am aware of the forecasts of doom and gloom.  I know that the socialist goons are doing everything they can to disrupt our society.  I am aware of the cesspool of public entertainment.  But I have a context.  My context is not this week or even this century.  My context is eternity and the Big Picture.  I know that there is a God who is in charge and has a plan.

In addition to that my life is swamped with blessings.  I think that those of us who are aware of the big picture are also more aware of our blessings.  I am enjoying the day.  I have blessings of family and friends.  The heater works and the roof does not leak.  My pacemaker is still working and no one has refused to accept my credit card. 

And I know the One who I am thanking.

Rejoice and enjoy the day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-276: Baby Talk: Distractions

I was reminded of another reason why many people like to have the babies in the nursery instead of in the worship service on Sunday morning.  Sometimes they are more interesting than the sermon.

I found myself sitting behind a young couple with their baby on Sunday.  She was a cute little kid.  She was not as cute as my granddaughter, but I did not tell her mother that.  I found that I had to work at listening to the sermon instead of making faces at the baby.  She we responsive and seemed to have plenty of extra smiles so it was hard.  I found she was about two months younger than mine. 

I also was reminded of why some people would rather work in the nursery than be in the service.  In the nursery they don’t have to endure that “go around and greet everyone” moment that seems to be so popular in churches today.  I have always felt that if people really cared about talking to me they would come early, stay late or call me during the week.  I have six days and 23 hours for them to talk to me each week.  I only get an hour to experience congregational singing and the preaching of the words I need to be hearing.  But I am polite.

The sermon was on “thanks” because it was Thanksgiving Week.  See, I was listening.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-275: Don’t Ask if You Don’t Want

Be careful what you ask for. 

Now and then I have people who ask me to pray for them.  I am not sure they really want that.  I might include the concern they have but only as an add-on to my basic pattern.  I had developed my way of lifting people up and did not realize where it came from until my wife was in the hospital one time.  The chaplain came and as he prayed for her I could tell what he was doing and it became clear where I got it.  It came from Jesus.

(Mark 12:30 KJV)  And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

And He got it from the Old Testament.

(Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV)  And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

My prayers for people follow the body, soul, mind, spirit path.  I put it different ways but I cover all of them because if they were important to Jesus, they are important to me.  I always start with salvation since everything else is a dead end street without it.

So unless you want the whole package, don’t ask for the pretty wrapping.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-274: Instant Coffee Socialism

I don’t know who it was that originally got me to check out the Daily Time Waster but I find myself wasting time daily at the site.  One of the things it does is show you new products.  Today is had some kind of deluxe box cutter.  Does the world really need a new box cutter?  That is the result of this thing called liberty, also known as free enterprise and capitalism.

It was not a new thought.  The awesome reality hits me every once in awhile.  Do you want a clear example of the difference between socialism and free enterprise?  Go to Amazon or Walmart and check out all the different varieties available.  Or go to the grocery store and check out all the different brands and styles of coffee.  In the banana republics and workers’ paradises you will probably be lucky to get instant coffee let alone five choices of espresso. 

We live in a world of plenty.  Remember that people classified as poor in America live better than the vast majority of people in the world. 

Rejoice, be glad and enjoy it while you still can.  Remember that the Progressive socialist Democrats want to make these decisions for you and they are on the rise.  When _______ is redistributed then no one will have ______, except the elite decision makers.  Fill in the blanks any way you want.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-273: Headlines: Letting Jimmy Have His Way

It would seem that the solution to the Jim Acosta temper tantrum is simple.  Give him his press pass back and stop having press conferences.  We used to call it “all dressed up and no place to go”.  Or give him his press pass back and stop taking any questions.  The president could also call in small groups of reporters or give one-on-one interviews on a daily basis. 

How about giving the Acosta his own personal interview with the president.  Then President Trump could sit drinking a diet Coke and saying nothing but, “No comment.”  What an exclusive that would be.

It is obvious that this “reporter” went to pubic school where he was repeatedly told he was special and allowed to disrupt class any time he did not get the bathroom pass.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-272: Headlines: You Sly Fox, You

It is official.  Fox has reached down into its orientation basket and decided it identifies as liberal.  It was actually an easier transition than that of Bruce Jenner.  According to Don Surber, Fox has joined all the other liberal lip-sinc “news” outlets in demanding Jim Acosta get his press pass back.

My only contacts with Fox News came in two forms.  The most regular was on Sunday mornings as I would walk through the room and catch a bit of the morning broadcast from Fox.  The second was on vacation when I was quarantined in one room with someone who loved TV.  I had to put up with 24 hour blather.  It was either some version of Flip a House or Fox News.  At the time Fox was interesting except for the view from the plantation presented by Juan Williams.  I guess he was there for comedy relief.

When I started going to Fox on the internet I began to see the drift taking place.  Headlines from the left moved from occasional to routine.  A liberal spin on the posts replaced “fair and balanced”.  I have not deleted the link yet but I rarely use it any more. 

I guess now it is official.  We have lost Fox.  Now we need to keep from losing Florida.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-271: Is Compromise Possible?

The internet has a lot of talk about another civil war.  That is real and horrifying at the same time.  Civil wars are the most brutal kinds of fighting.  You may not understand it but the American Civil War had more casualties than all of our other wars combined.  It literally turned brother against brother.  We are engaged in a generally non-violent civil war now.  The exceptions of course are the actions of the left as they try to escalate to the point of reprisals from conservatives.  Let us hope they don’t get what they want.  They are not out to build a better America.  They are out to destroy a system that has brought unprecedented prosperity, security and opportunity to the masses.  They cannot stand the fact that they cannot be in total control.  If they can bring us to their level then they know they have destroyed the unique experiment of the American Republic and transformed us into a police state.  Such is the norm for history.

The real issue in 1860 was states rights.  The question was, “Do states have a right to make their own rules or does the federal government have ultimate power?”  The South tried to reject central control by withdrawing from the Union.  Lincoln first tried the peaceful response of ignoring their withdrawal.  Then came Fort Sumter and the carnage escalated. 

For the South is was always about rejecting centralized control from Washington, D.C.  To this day the people below the Mason-Dixon line call it the War of Northern Aggression.  This is a rather accurate description.  Most of the fighting was done in the South by Northern armies invading. 

The war did not blossom over night.  It was not a sudden thing.  It had been festering for decades over a number of issues.  The trigger issues varied.  Slavery was one of the hot buttons that went back to the original Constitution.  Several Southern states refused to join if slavery was banned.  The issue was hotly debated at the Constitutional Convention.  The Southerners at that time seemed to understand that slavery needed to end but wanted time to adjust their economies and cultures.

Tarriffs were another source of anger.  The North had factories.  They wanted the Southerners to buy their products but it was cheaper to import them from England.  When the industrial states got enough power they raised tariffs and forced the South to buy American.  Does that sound familiar to anyone?  Can you say, “Steel”?  The nation wanted a railroad to go across the continent.  Where did you build it?  Did you put it in the north to benefit the industrial states or in the south to advance cotton?  There have always been sectional rivalries. 

Today the issue will not be states’ rights because things are so mixed.  Every state with a large city has a pocket of liberal politics  If you look at the different maps of elections with their blue and red you notice that it is not so much a difference in states as a difference between urban and rural.  The next civil war may be over the Electoral College which in reality determines whether the big cities run the country or will fly-over country still have a say.

The triggers are many:  Abortion, Second Amendment, gay marriage, immigration, health care, taxes, welfare, affirmative action, the list goes on.  The problem isn’t even that different people have different opinions.  The problem is that there are always groups that want to force their views on everyone.  Will the left push hard enough and fast enough to trigger the majority of Americans who just want to be left alone?

I hope I don’t live to find out but my children will certain see how the story unfolds.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-270: Act II

Intermission is over.  It is time to get to the next act in the blockbuster play, If You Can Keep It.  I refer of course to the antidote in which Benjamin Franklin was asked what kind of government we would have.  He is reported to have answered, “A republic, if you can keep it.”  It is becoming questionable whether we can keep it.  I am not sure that too many want to try.

The intermission was a two year period where the Republicans controlled congress and the presidency.  During that time you had a Supreme Court with Justice Kennedy providing the mystery and the others voting as expected.  It was a time to get things done.  Donald Trump did his part.  He has done everything he could as an executive.  He has kept his promises.  He has been repeatedly stabbed in the back by the Republican establishment.  Just think what could have been done on health care, immigration, regulation, voter fraud, the right to bear arms, etc if the RINOs had not been such RINOs.  We dreamed and that is about all we got out of them.

Will the new make up in the Senate perform as hoped?  We will see.  There is some hope but keep in mind that Mitt Romney is not exactly Trump’s BFF.  I take some hope in the belief that Romney is basically a decent guy.  If Ted and Donald can kiss and make up for the good of the country, maybe Mitt will join in.  We also hold our breaths to see if Lindsey Graham 2.0 stays the same or has another metamorphosis. 

The curtain is about to rise.  Watch carefully.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-269: Levels of Honor

Most veterans do not deserve to be honored as heroes.  What they need to be honored for is their sense of responsibility, duty and willingness to sacrifice.  Both are of great value to the country.

I am a veteran.  I served in Vietnam.  I was in places where people had been killed.  It was a genuine war zone.  At the same time, I am not a hero.  I never knew the horrors of combat or the sickening fear that someone might be drawing a bead on me.  Although there was some risk of death the greatest danger I had was boredom.  I don’t mind being thanked for my service but the real honor should be reserved for the warriors.

All warriors did not choose to be warriors.  In the Vietnam war most soldiers were drafted.  The honor comes from responding to the call of duty.  We did not seek exotic deferments or head to Canada.  After your physical it was pretty much the luck of the draw.  I went through training with men who had enlisted to be clerks so they would be spared combat.  My guess is that once in Vietnam many of them found they were handed a rifle and told to get in line.  To their credit, most served with honor.

Keep in mind that for every fighter pilot there are hundreds in support.  For every Ranger or Seal there are at least dozens in the background.  All serve.  Some give much more than others.  Some give the ultimate.

So I honor the warriors out there, past and present.  I who served, thank you for your service.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-268: Gauntlet Time

I, like many Americans, do not have a clue to what is going on in Florida and Arizona.  Everything I read comes from one side or the other but it is strange how the same areas have so much trouble counting votes and always seem to find piles of uncounted Democrat votes after the Republicans win an election.

Now is the time to throw down the gauntlet of the law.  Or else this is the time to shut up and slink away.  As conservatives we are supposed to believe in the rule of law.  We are against rule by fiat or personality.  There are rules and they should be followed.  One of the basics of life is that you never win a game when only your opponent is allowed to cheat. 

So put up or shut up.  If the duly elected election officials of Broward County have been ignoring the laws passed to govern the validity of elections then here is what we do:  Arrest, Arraign, Indict, Try, Jail.  It is pretty simple.  Do it.  If there is no indictment or conviction then either you are full of hot air or you are incompetent.  If there is no significant jail time then you are part of the problem. 

The alternative is not acceptable to conservatives.  One of the character attributes of true conservatives is integrity.  I don’t mean just talking about it.  I mean living it.  We refuse to cheat.  We refuse to get violent until every other course has been followed.  We are patient and try to work through the system.  We cannot honestly cry “foul” until we have actually worked the system.

So use the law.  If we are forced to the alternative then we have lost because violent vigilante action usually ends up destroying the system it sets out to protect.

What does the arrogant rule breaker often say when caught in the act?  “So sue me.”  Do it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-267: Election 2020: More Rope, Please

I have a suggestion for the conservatives in the House.  Vote as a block for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker.  Or maybe they could get Maxine Waters to step in.  These two have spouted so much hate and violence that we need to keep them in the limelight.  America does not seem to have started to pay attention yet. 

Of course that brings up the question of how clear the Democrats will need to get on their agenda of violence and socialism before the common folk of Pennsylvania, New York, California, etc. get the idea.  It may be that nothing will wake them up because they are already aware of what is going on and approve.  Once you get on the dole and adjust to living off the productivity of others it is hard to start being responsible.

Many conspiracy types are forecasting an economic collapse.  At some point the paper money will become useless and then we shall really find out what hard times are like.  The thing about that is I have been hearing about that for over 20 years and we don’t seem to be any closer than we were then.

Will 2020 be any different?  Stay tuned and stock up on canned goods.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-266: Headlines: Today’s Crisis

Don’t you love the talking point of the left about the current “Constitutional Crisis”?  This one is over Trump asking for Sessions’ resignation.  It is always interesting that the socialists who ignore the Constitution all of the time get so into it when they think it can help them.  They might want to read it.  They count on the masses never having done so.  I am still waiting to hear the source in the Constitution which says that the president cannot fire anyone who is not elected. 

The Senate has a say in who is approved.  Article 2, Section 2 of the Constitution lays out the basis of that.

“He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the advice and consent of the senate, shall appoint ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, judges of the supreme court, and all other officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by law.  But the Congress may by law vest the appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the president alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.”

You notice that the cabinet is not specifically mentioned but most agree it would be included. 

The mysterious crisis that the left if finding has to do with the president firing a cabinet member, not appointing one.  Historically this was dealt with in the impeachment of Andrew Johnson.  One of his cabinet members was basically a seditious spy for Radical Republicans.  He was making it impossible for Johnson to do his job, so he fired the man.  Congress said, “You can’t do that” and started impeachment procedures.  It failed by one vote in the Senate and thus you would assume that precedent says the president can fire. 

This is the kind of nonsense that you can expect from a political party that finds the right to an abortion in the Constitution but can’t find the right to bear arms.

It is a moot point anyway.  Sessions was not “fired” he was asked to resign, and he did.

The Democrats have not even finished contesting elections and already the push to make us a banana republic is moving forward.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-265: On the Street: Being Accepted

You know you are becoming part of the community when the dogs stop barking at you.  When I first started walking in my new community the dogs would throw themselves at the fence like they knew I was from California.  The next dog down the street would be alerted and ready for me as I walked by. 

Now they don’t even bother getting up.  If they do come they only give me a little “woof” of hello.  It is good to be accepted.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-264: Election 2018: Scratching My Head

I was hoping for better news on the House of Representatives but it looks like most of the races were won by significant enough numbers to demonstrate the will of the voters.  I know how they voted and it was very frustrating to watch all of those seats flip to the party of hate.  It really just reinforces my view of a nation that elected Clinton and Obama and repeated the nonsense. 

Business as usual, but I really can’t figure out some of the results.

I now live in Texas.  I came here to get away from politicians like Beto O’Rouke.  He is an empty suit that disagrees with the values and culture of Texas on just about every issue.  He lost as he should.  The thing that mystifies me is that he came so close.  According to the latest information from the Secretary of State he received 48.32 compared to Cruz at 50.89.  ??????  Pick an issue.  Guns, he was against them.  Abortions, he was for them.  Open borders was his theme.  Go on down the list and he sounded like he could have won in California.  He came close enough to be scary.

And look at Arizona.  According to Real Clear Politics McSally is less than one percent ahead of a Democrat who said Arizona voters were crazy and had no problem with people joining ISIS to fight against America.  This should have been a runaway situation.  Of course this is the state that kept returning John McCain, Mr. RINO, to the senate.  You need to factor in all the liberals fleeing their model socialist state to the west.  Still, where are the Americans?

I can understand Virginia moving blue.  Northern Virginia is simply an overflow for the swamp of D.C.  Their gravy train in on the line.  What I can’t understand is Pennsylvania.  Four districts switched to the swamp support by sizable margins.  Have they ever heard of coal?

We will move on.  Divided government is part of the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers envisioned.  It is probably healthy.  So are Brussel sprouts.  It doesn’t mean I have to like them.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-263: Election 2018: Day of Hope

This is a day of hope.  Today Americans have the choice to make their voices heard or to sit back and do nothing.  One of the benefits of our system is that we have a choice and we are not forced to exercise it. 

I am optimistic.  I hope that the numbers at the end of the day are good for the America I envision.  I am aware that there are a lot of people who are so brainwashed and ignorant that they don’t recognize the danger of socialism and the tyranny it produces.  I am aware that they don’t have any idea of economics and so many are employed or supported by government jobs and largess that they think money grows on trees.  They forget that leaves also grow on trees and most leaves are of no value except mulch.

I am still optimistic.  I have Hope because God is on the throne.  I do not assume that America is God’s chosen people.  That position was given to Israel and I have not heard about it being reassigned.  At the same time there are still a lot of people living in obedience and faith.  I know that the country survived FDR, Jimmy, WJC and BHO.  We can outlast the demagogues and self appointed messiahs because overall our system is robust and there are still enough of a righteous remnant that I believe God is not done with us as a country.  People came through the Great Depression.  We can not only survive but thrive in what is coming.

That gives me hope about the future no matter how the numbers come out. 

My hope is not in the American people.  These are the same people who elected Bill Clinton twice and Barak Obama twice.  This is a country that almost elected Al Gore.  This is a country in which the major media outlets have not gone bankrupt and people who know better are still going to Starbuck’s and eating Ben and Jerry’s.

God is patient.  I hope that tomorrow will bring good news about politics.  I know today brings good news about eternity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-262: Because, Gorges, Part 2 of 2

What do I do with the Sabbath. 

(Exodus 20:8-11 KJV)  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Again, that is pretty clear and I am not sure any of us try to pay attention to it.  I have a feeling that if we did the shopping malls and restaurants would start closing up one day a week.

I could make the defense that I am not a Jew and this is the Law, thus it does not apply to me.  That does not work too well because if I can do that with the Sabbath I can also do it to stealing and adultery, if you catch my drift.  While I feel comfortable doing that with the ceremonial law I can’t do it with the moral law.

So lets go literal.  What is the purpose of the Sabbath?  It seems clear that it is a day of rest.  It is a day for no work.  Notice that there is no mention of worship, synagogue or temple.  God did not go to church on Saturday, He rested.  He stopped His work of creation.

So the Sabbath is to be a day of rest.  I will admit that we do not honor that.  I could go along with the idea that we do no work on Saturday.  Maybe that is where the church has missed it.  We have taken Saturday to be the day we catch up on chores and called Sunday a day of rest.  Then on Sunday we wear ourselves out doing church stuff.  In the process we don’t have a day of rest.  Now that I am retired I could easily avoid any work on Saturday and still go to church on Sunday.  That would leave me five days to get everything done on the “honey-do” list.  If you are working you don’t have that luxury. 

Modern appointment calendars may solve the problem for me.  If you have bought one you have noticed that they are now making Monday the first day of the week and putting Sunday at the end.  They do it because it saves space on the format that puts a week on two pages.  Personally I think it is also done to kick the Lord’s Day off the beginning of the week.  It will be interesting to see if it ever spreads to the monthly calendars people have on their walls.

I see the Sabbath as Friday sundown to Saturday sundown.  I see Sunday as the Lord’s Day.  One should be for rest and the other for worship.

Until I work that out, just call me “inconsistent”. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-261: Because, Gorges, Part 1 of 2

Recently Gorges of Gorges Grouse got a bit upset with me and my inconsistency.  He stopped short of the word “hypocrisy” but you could see it wanting to jump out between the lines.  In case you don’t bother with reading comments, here is what he had to say,

“So why do you deny the TRUE Sabbath, but then stick the commandments for it on the FIRST day of the week? And please don't use the silly argument that man can choose any day he wants for “‘the Sabbath.’”

He has a point.  This is what the Bible has to say.

(Exodus 20:8-11 KJV)  Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

That seems pretty straight forward. 

Of course we also need to point out some conflicts that Jesus had about the Sabbath.  One is found in Mark 2:23-28. 

(Mark 2:23-4 KJV)  And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.  And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful?

The law allowed people to take enough grain from a field to deal with their hunger so we are not looking at theft or trespass.  What the Pharisees got upset about was that plucking grain was work and that meant that they were working on the Sabbath.  If you understand the passage in Exodus rigidly, then Jesus was breaking the Law.  Yet He answers them to point out an understanding that I am not sure we get yet.

(Mark 2:27 KJV)  And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:

The Sabbath rest was not a burden that God put on His people.  It was a protection that He demanded for their lives.  They were not to work themselves into the ground.  Notice that it applied even to the cattle.  If it were written today it might apply to our automobiles.  God knew about type A people who never rest.  He knew that such behavior was bad for us.  To He called a Sabbath rest.

Like all Biblical laws, there is a good reason for them.

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-260: Happy Reformation Day

Sunday I attended a Presbyterian church that was very proud of being part of the Reformed tradition.  Sunday was Reformation Sunday and the pastor explained that it came on the Sunday before Reformation Day which is October 31.  I had never noticed that before.

He said the October 31, 1517 was the day that Martin Luther nailed the 95 Thesis to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral and started the theological debate that led to the Protestant Revolution.  In case you can’t do the math that is 501 years ago. 

Today most protestant denominations trace their roots back to Martin Luther and the other reformers such as John Calvin.

So if you don’t want to celebrate Halloween I suggest you celebrate Reformation Sunday.  You could go around nailing lists to people’s front doors.  We might start a whole new tradition.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-259: Cui Bono

Who benefits from illegal aliens invading our country?  It is a question that is often ignored or presented as a partisan issue.  It is not a chasm populated by Republicans on one side and Democrats on the other.  The list is long and ubiquitous.

The countries sending them want easy access.  This is nothing new.  We act like dumping your problem people is a new phenomenon.  Not so.  Oliver Cromwell sent large numbers of rebellious Scots and Irish as indentured servants.  Georgia was established as a penal colony.  Even the slaves that were sold by Africans to European and Muslim slave dealers were the ones that the locals wanted to get rid of.

The people who come want easy crossings.  Whether they are fleeing oppression, looking for a better job or terrorists wanting to destroy us, they have one thing in common.  Abolish ICE.  Neuter the border patrol.  Create more sanctuary cities.  A large part of the world would love to move to Southern California if they could just get across the ocean.

People who want cheap labor are in favor of a porous border.  It isn’t just the rich businessmen who run sweat shops.  The desire for cheap labor extends everywhere.  People who want cheap labor to mow their lawn are in favor of open borders.  People who want restaurant prices to stay down don’t mind cheap labor.  I was struck by a recent headline sparked by an illegal who murdered a college girl.  The reporters suddenly became aware of farms in the area who depended on illegals to work for low wages.

The Democrat Party believes they are gaining a whole new voter base.  They don’t even care if the voters are citizens.  They will register them and have them voting the rest of their lives.  In many case they will keep them voting for years after they die.  Their problem is that the country is so awesome that many of them start doing well, gaining wealth and realizing that the Democrats want to take that away from them.

Who then is hurt by illegal aliens.  The biggest hit is taken by the everyday tax payer.  They are the ones who fund the schools, government medical programs, food subsidies and rent payments.  The money comes from some where and many of the illegals are either in the cash economy or working under assumed identities so they make reduced contributions, if any.

You also have the victims of crime.  We hear the statistics again and again.  Currently the headlines are repetitious about illegal aliens committing murder, rape and robbery.  Our jails are full of the ones who have been caught and convicted.  Many people live in fear even within their homes.
  
Do we need to do something about illegal aliens?  Yes we do.  Will we?  Probably not.

homo unius libri